


Noted

by KatieKat527



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Death Note & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-17 15:57:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11854902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatieKat527/pseuds/KatieKat527
Summary: In fairness to Buffy, she knew Light was the capital letters Bad Guy the moment she saw his annoyingly perfect face. Granted, she'd been thinking more ‘douchebag with straight A’s who thinks he's God’s gift to the world’ than 'douchebag who thinks he’s actually God.'





	Noted

In fairness to Buffy, she knew Light was the capital letters Bad Guy the moment she saw his annoyingly perfect face. Granted, she'd been thinking more ‘douchebag with straight A’s who thinks he's God’s gift to the world’ than 'douchebag who thinks he’s actually God.' But still, bad vibes were had.

_And yet._

She'd went wrong right off by being at least a little in denial. Angel, and all the pain that came from the darkness lurking inside him… That scar was fresh, not even scabbed over. She hadn't had enough distance from it to take it as a lesson learned. She was too busy failing to pretend it never happened.

It's how she got into this predicament in the first place. Running away and contacting the Council of Watchers weren't exactly two actions that typically went well together, but it seemed like an ingenious plan at the time. After Lilly, she'd come so close to coming home. So close. But Sunnydale hurt. Like a bitch, did it hurt. And her friends, her mom, they were safer with distance.

She also knew she couldn't abandon her duty.

So she made a deal with Quinten Travers. Relocate her mother, make sure she never has to worry about her safety, let an experienced agent or whatever they had guard the town, and she'd do whatever they wanted. She’d be a good Slayer, she’d save people, she’d fight any monsters, she'd go absolutely anywhere.

Anywhere but Sunnydale.

In hindsight that had only truly worked because they'd found Faith. A Slayer to guard the Hellmouth, and one to do their bidding. Played? Maybe. But her mom was safe and her friends and watcher would be okay. She could lie in her own bed.

Like she'd have to now, after falling in love with another psychopath.

Through Travers’ connections with Whammy House, she’d met the man himself, as well as the prodigies therein. There was a werewolf problem on the English countryside and so Buffy appeared. It hadn’t ended happily. The beast had almost ripped a child apart before she managed to put him down. There was a bitter taste in her mouth as he transformed back into a teenager with lifeless eyes.

Because there were still a few evils afoot in the area, and maybe slightly because Travers had a heart somewhere _deep, deep_ down, Buffy resided at the orphanage for a couple of weeks. The little genius brats inside lodged their obnoxious ways into her heart. Matt made her laugh. Mello drove her up the wall. Near was, frankly, adorable, and she’d mother henned like a pro. He'd been glued to her side like a leach, too.

She still kept in touch, annoyed them like she really was their big sister. They, and by osmosis eventually L, became like a family to her. A weird-ass crime fighting family, but she expected nothing less in her life.

Buffy was bound to join the investigation eventually. Kira was about as paranormal as things got. But even the Council was weary of risking her life to a being who only needed a name and face to kill. The Slayer thrived by being in the darkness, unknown and unexpected. They stood to lose a prized weapon, and beyond that exposing their own existence to Kira.

But the situation had gotten so far out of control there couldn’t be anymore buying time.

She joined L and his search for answers under a false name, and met a Light Yagami that she would later learn was without his memories.

The kicker is, like with Angel, she knows that there was a part of Light was actually good. Kind of a misogynistic asshole before she kicked that out of him, still pretty narcissistic, but a guy who wanted to do good things for people. To be a hero. She doesn't know what the Death Note really does to a person. If it all came from within or if it had an influence that infected the user. But she just can't fight the thought that maybe, if she had met him sooner, when he was just a bored genius teenager, maybe everything could have been different.

Maybe she could have shown him the darkness of the world, the real demons, and ignited a spark in that insanely clever head of his that was a force for good.

And maybe, she thought, it all would have been the same anyway.

But it _galls_

It's not fair.

_It's not._

Why’d they have to go off without her, huh? Why couldn't she have stopped his fingers from grasping that fucking notebook, and burned it to cinders?

Why does she now have to feel that demon, that death god’s demonic presence as soon as the team walks through the doors.

Why does she have to see it in his eyes alone, like a dark and ominous cloud had shrouded them, tainting the look in them that was supposed to be relief and disbelief, but it’s _lying lying lying_ because she’s experiencing the worst, most nauseating case of deja vu in history?

It's so far beyond cruel she can't even speak, can't think. Almost can't breathe.

Instead, she watches as Light turns from her and continues the facade with his own father. Then she turns her head, meeting L’s eyes.

She knows without a doubt he can see something breaking behind her own, a storm of emotions brewing underneath a blank expression.

Inside, the Slayer seethes, and prepares for battle.


End file.
